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What is Phubbing? How it affects the relationship and how to stop it?

Phubbing is an act of checking your phone constantly ignoring the person who is sitting in front of you for a conversation. This tendency is currently increasing among people. So, here is everything you should know about phubbing.

Phubbing is a combination of the two words phone and snubbing. It is the act of constantly checking your phone while having your friend or family right in front of you. This is the most common scenario among people. They are addicted to their smartphones. People want to stay updated about current situation. But they tend to forget about the person who is sitting with them. They might be disturbed with the immature act.

The term phubbing was first coined in May 2012 by an Australian advertising agency to describe this growing tendency among the public. After the formation of this term, the campaign ‘stop phubbing’ was launched. According to research, we tend to phub others at least four times a day. Read on to know more about phubbing.

Tips to stop phubbing and give more attention to your loved ones:

How does phubbing affect our daily life?

Phubbing reduces our ability to engage with other people around us. It has also damaged marriages. It tends to increase marital dissatisfaction among partners. And research says partners who phub each other have more chances to suffer from depression.

Effects of phubbing on mental health

Phubbing affects people the most who are getting phubbed, i.e. who are being ignored by others for their phones. They feel extremely negative seeing the person ignore them. Phubbing is a great threat to four fundamental needs and they are as follows:

Belongingness.

Self-esteem.

Control.

Meaningful existence.

People who are phubbed feel avoided, rejected and neglected and this affects their mental health a lot. As a result, they also try to engage in their phones which eventually starts the cycle of phubbing.

Signs of a phubber:

How would you be able to know if you are also a phubber? Well, these signs can tell you. Read on to know them:

1- You get busy with two conversations and you cannot handle any of them properly because you get unable to concentrate on any one thing at that moment.

2- You cannot stay without your phone and take it wherever you go.

3- You cannot have your meals without scrolling your phone.

How to stop phubbing?

These are some simple rules to follow to stop phubbing:

1- Leave your phone in some other place while having meals. And do this so that you don’t get bothered by your smartphone.

2- Stop checking your phone, again and again, to see if there is any new update for you. If there is something new to find, then you can do it later. The notifications will remain as they are. So, you don’t need to check it in the middle of your conversation.

3- Take this thing as a challenge and try to stay without your phone for a long time.

How to help others to stop phubbing?

You can also help your dear ones and save them from phubbing constantly in these ways:

1- First, put your phone aside to show them indirectly that you are not into phubbing.

2- Don’t encourage them to show anything on their phone.

3- If someone you love the most is so much into phubbing then talk to them. And tell them politely that you don’t like this behaviour.

Anonymous 3 weeks ago

I had a colleague who would always complain that I don't socialise in the office. Then I decided to give her a chance despite knowing that she has an attention span of a goldfish. We sat down during lunch break and she took out her phone and scrolled through her random videos and content on FB and whatsapp the whole time. We finished our lunch and that was it. I never had lunch with her again and she continued asking me why I don't socialise at work. It blows my mind!!! People like them are like satellite. They have no genuine interest in you but still want to keep tabs on you.

Anonymous 3 weeks ago

Not only it is disrespectful but most people who do this have zero personality. If they put down their phones to have lunch with you, they have no clue what to talk about or how to eat without a distraction. They are afraid of social interaction due to their low self esteem and lack of confidence in social settings.

Anonymous 3 weeks ago

People who are constantly on phone lack self awareness and priorities in life. I will never give my time and energy to a phubber.